If Washington sports fan didn’t have enough reasons to despise Dallas-based professional sports organizations or referees, Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to the Stars will give the Caps something to stew on. The referees were on the Caps’ case all night long and washed out the potential game-tying goal. That is not to say that the Caps aren’t to blame for their play, but it wasn’t entirely their fault.

First things first, Scott Hannan watch: 19:02 TOI, 4:50 SH TOI, four blocked shots, three hits. Not a bad start for Hannan, who held his own in his first game in Washington’s system and showed some grit and toughness from end to end. The most telling stat? Two penalty minutes which ended up giving the Stars their first goal of the night. It was a lapse in the usually-disciplined play of Hannan, but overall, he had a good first start.

Alex Ovechkin’s goalless drought reaches nine games, tied for a career high. He had five SOG, but seemed to be forcing things more than he was Wednesday against the Blues. It looked like he scored the game-tying goal, which would have been his second buzzer beater of his career, but it was John Carlson who would have been credited with the goal if it wasn’t washed out. No excuses, though. Luckily, others have stepped up in his place, but Ovechkin is the captain and must play in such a way.

Penalties. Lots of them. Six tonight. Thirteen in the last three games. Despite the fact that the Caps have killed off 12 of those 13, it’s way too much. The Caps need to play some disciplined hockey and fast.

Alan May, Joe B. and Craig Laughlin harped on the poor ice quality all night long. It was pretty bad, but the Capitals spoiled many good chances. Washington had 38 shots on goal but 37 missed shots. Andrew Raycroft is a good goalie, but you could have sworn Eddie Belfour made a return to net in Dallas with the way he played tonight.

Also, one last thing. The Dallas faithful were out in full force. And eating (Thanks to @Caps_Girl for that picture).